Search

People talk about routine, about finding a good routine and then sticking to it. Now, this can work for certain things and can actually help to keep you on track but it doesn’t mean that breaking away from the routine sometimes will ruin everything.

When it comes to exercise and especially beginners I always say they need to find a routine because it will make it easier to monitor what they’re doing. I set their routine and help them to monitor the intensity, for example they may have exercise sessions set on mondays, wednesdays and fridays with a structured nutrition plan. This way they can tick off the boxes each time they complete a workout or eat something and it is an effective way of staying on top of things.

There are a few ways in which routine doesn’t give the desired effects however…

– Your body becomes used to the intensity and doing the same things week in week out. You will start to see a plateau or decrease in results and this means that something needs to change, whether that means the type of exercise, the intensity or even the amount you are doing.

– If you start to feel guilty for having to change the routine for something that has come up unexpectedly. The idea of creating a routine is to help you, not to force you into a rigid schedule and it is certainly not there for you to punish yourself mentally over not sticking to it once or twice. Be realistic, there are always going to be things that get in the way but all you must do is figure out a way to fit in your workout another time, its as simple as that!!

– When you have been pushing your body to it’s limits in order to achieve results sometimes it can get over worked and can become exhausted. This is very important to take note of and sometimes the best thing to do is to ignore your routine and give your body the rest it needs to come back fighting.

I have certainly found that when I take a break from exercise and focus on letting my body recover (stretching, yoga, sleeping), I come back with a remarkable amount of energy and actually it always does my body a whole lot of good. I am guilty of over working my body at times don’t get me wrong, but I can tell immediately that my body doesn’t react well to it.

Taking a break from your routine does not mean abandoning it altogether and pigging out on the sofa, but it means giving it a break from working so hard, fuelling it with clean and healthy foods, and preparing it for hard work again!

I know only too well that amazing feeling when you wake up on a summer holiday and have no cares in the world. The only decisions that you need to make is what beach to go to, where to read your book or what to have for breakfast! After a few days of catching up on sleep, your body starts to go into relaxation mode, refreshing the body from all the stresses of work life and helping it recover to it’s ideal state.

Do not let this go to waste, you want to keep this feeling for as long as possible. There are a few easy ways to prevent your body going back to it’s pre holiday state…

Get as many early nights as possible

Avoid alcohol

Avoid processed, sugary foods

Limit caffeine intake

Drink lots of water

Keep your food as fresh as possible

Exercise

All these things make up the list of what we all know we should do anyway but after a holiday is can seem more important. You want to maintain that refreshed holiday feel if you can because this is when your body is least stressed.

If you revert straight back to late nights, early starts, boozy nights out, eating comfort foods and drinking coffee to get you through the day, then your body is going to lose those holiday benefits very quickly and you will soon be craving another week away!

Don’t waste it, treat your body well and it will treat you nicely in return!